Alvernia PLEX

Design estimate from the as-built PVsyst energy model, in kilowatt-hours. Summer is about four times December because the days are longer and the sun is higher. Actual output varies with weather.

Project Brief:

1,683 solar panels on the roof of the Plex now turn sunlight into electricity for the building, cutting the power Alvernia buys from the grid.

How it works

  1. Panels make DC power
    Sunlight hitting the silicon cells in each panel produces direct current. The panels sit at a low 10° tilt on the PLEX roof.
  2. Inverters convert it
    Twelve inverters change that DC power into the 480-volt AC power the building uses.
  3. The PLEX uses it first
    Power flows into the PLEX’s main electrical service, so the building draws less from the utility.
  4. Extra goes to the grid
    When the array makes more than the building needs, the surplus flows onto the Met-Ed grid through a new 750 kVA utility transformer.
  5. It is watched around the clock
    A monitoring system tracks output every day, and Alvernia plans a lobby display showing real-time energy results.

 

WHO BUILT IT:

  • Alvernia University – Owner, Facility Planning & Construction
  • RER Energy Group – Design-build developer, Reading, PA

 

 

PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS:

  • Size: 992.97 kW DC / 720 kW AC
  • Panels: 1,683 × Seraphim 590 W
  • Inverters: 12 × CPS 60 kW string inverters
  • Safety: 891 rapid-shutdown devices de-energize the roof wiring in an emergency
  • Utility: Met-Ed (FirstEnergy), approved to operate Oct. 5, 2026
  • Monitoring: AlsoEnergy